Scandi-Who-Vi-Wha?
My adventures in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Posted as they happen. Twenty-Four days of ultimate freedom.
So, as many of you know, today marked my last full day overseas. It was well spent I’d say. Here’s how it went:
I woke up in the morning at 9.15 to the usual sounds of people around packing their bags and getting ready to check out (which is usually at 10). By the time I’d prepared myself for the day and stepped out the door, it was 11, and I had a set game plan. There were a few things that I’d wanted to see while I was here but neglected to see until today, so it was my goal to get to all of these sights. They included the National Museum, Rosenborg Castle and Nycarlsberg Glyptotek. So, I started my fifteen minute walk into town, headed in the direction of the National Museum. By the time I arrived at the museum (I stopped for a candy bar and water), it was noon. I was very excited for this museum, because it had been highly rated by Rick Steves, and it was free to enter! It doesn’t get much better than that!
I started out in the section on Denmark’s Prehistory, which was very thrilling! The exhibit followed the course of the Danes from the stone age until the viking era. Along the way there were countless artifacts (excavated graves, swords, ancient flint spearheads and daggers, the works). This part of the museum definitely grabbed my attention. I think I probably spent a good hour and a half walking and reading through everything. It was particularly interesting to me, because it was a part of Scandinavian history that I hadn’t got in Oslo or in Stockholm, plus the archaeological artifacts presented were in near perfect condition for their age. It was as if I’d come across a lost treasure in every little section of the exhibit.
Next, was a section on Denmark’s medieval and renaissance history, which was considerably less interesting. These exhibits looked as if they were put together in the seventies, and were incredibly similar to everything that I’d seen in Sweden and Norway. However, there was one particularly good part on the Norse settlements in Greenland, which have always been something I’ve been curious about. I quickly walked through these exhibits and left for Rosenborg.
I thought I knew exactly where Rosenborg Castle was, but I was mistaken, because I ended up meandering through the city for probably an hour. This wasn’t necessarily bad, because I got to walk through some of the neighborhoods that I hadn’t seen before. I got to Rosenborg at 3, and payed for my entry. The castle had also been rated well by Rick Steves, but it slightly dissappointed me. It was built as a summer residence by King Christian IV (Denmark’s great renaissance king) and was much smaller than the other palaces I’d seen. It was also incredibly dark inside, and lacking the grandeur I’d associate with the Danish royalty. However, a heavily guarded vault in the basement of the palace housed the crown jewels of Denmark, which were a different story. They were fairly impressive, although I still found them moderately lacking in comparison with the jewels that I’d seen at the Royal Palace in Sweden. Seeing the jewels did make the trip to Rosenborg worthwhile though.
By the time all that was over, the day had flown by, and it was getting dark and colder outside, and I was getting a little hungry. My solution was to spend an hour or so walking and shopping Stroget (where I bought two ice cream cones). It was a nice day, and there were people all over the place. Taking my time to see Storget once again, I really felt like I felt the heartbeat of the city, which is always something I treasure. The musicians and chatting Danes all around really made the moment great. With camera in hand I walked everywhere, stopping and listening to different musicians, but I felt like this day was too good to try and capture in pictures. I took my time to get to Nyhavn, where I’d decided to have dinner. I stopped at a little restaurant next to the canal and ordered a steak and a coke, which was absolutely exceptional. I sat there for an hour or so, and chatted a bit with a Dane beside me, then left to go back to the hostel.
So that was my day! It wasn’t extremely full, but it was great. I’ll miss it here, and all the people that I’ve met and said goodbye to, but I’ll remember it all! Thanks to all of you who have followed me along this journey. I’m planning on taking more trips in the future, so I’ll probably convert this blog into a universal blog for all my travels. I may write once I get back tomorrow, but if I don’t; safe travels for any upcoming journeys!
Today didn’t turn out how I’d originally thought it would, but a thousand times better. It could have been one of the more memorable days of this journey! Originally, Paolo and I had planned on catching a local ferry to the island of Hven, which is directly between Denmark and Sweden. The both of us woke up incredibly early (6.30) and met at 8 in Radhusplassen to head together for the boat and to the island. We were soon forced to change our plans. When we got to the boat, we found that it was tied up onto a shady wharf, and there were no other signs of life around. So, we found a member of the company on another ship and asked if the boat was running. He replied, “The last trip was yesterday”. We’d missed a trip to Hven by one day! At first, we were both relatively dissappointed, but I suggested that we head back up Storget to the TI and find an alternative trip. It was agreeable to Paolo, so we did just that. We found a town called Roskilde which was nearby and comparable to what we wanted to see on Hven, so we decided to travel there instead!
It was only a 30 minute train ride from Copenhagen to Roskilde, which cost 130 Kroner for a round trip ticket. It was still relatively early in the morning, so upon arrival we had almost the whole day to dedicate to seeing this small town. With its 8000 residence, Roskilde was a little more rural and relaxed than Copenhagen, which is what we were headed for. The town also contained a UNESCO World Heritage Cathedral and a well rated Viking Museum. Naturally, Paolo and I knew that we had a full day ahead of us. We walked blindly towards the spires of the Cathedral that towered above the trees and spaced buildings of the town, and we soon got our orientation. Like Copenhagen, Roskilde revolves around one main shopping street, which was very wide, pedestrian only, and rather lovely to behold. From the moment I stepped off the train I knew that I’d love it here, because for the first time on my trip I found a lack of the sounds of the city. The air in Roskilde was filled with two things, a light hint of manure (which always reminds me of the lower valley in Yakima) and the chirps of birds celebrating the sunny day. It was wonderfully peaceful, and great for the soul!
After a leisurely stroll past a few small sights (such as a small royal residence that know serves as an art museum), Paolo and I came to the cathedral, which wasn’t terribly impressive from the outside. I knew however, that it must hold something special inside, because it was a UNESCO site. Upon entry, we found that the cathedral served as the burying place for most of Denmark’s monarchs, from 1000 until modern times. That was a treat! The cathedral ended up being miraculously ornate inside as well, and it was unlike most that I’ve seen, because it was all done with brick. White washed walls between the brick work served as the background for beautiful paintings, which juxtaposed white marble marble statues that were found around the tombs of the monarchs. I was in awe, and probably spent an hour (or more) wandering through the details in the place. I took plenty of pictures, so when I get home, you’ll get to see more of it!
After the cathedral, it was time for the viking museum, which lay a few hundred meters away along the coast of the fjord. The stroll down to it was lovely, and passed through trees cycling into their fall colors and children playing in the park. For no particular reason, all of this made me smile. It really was a grand sight and a grand old place! The viking museum wasn’t lacking either… in fact, I found it to be better than most of the similar museums that I’d visited in Norway! In order to get into the museum, one must walk across the docks holding floating and working replicas of viking ships that had been found at the bottom of the fjord. They were lovely ships, and they may have brought my Norwegian blood and other viking blood surging through my veins. At the museum, all of these ships and their archaeological history were explained. There was also a very striking video on a newly built viking ship (modeled after an original at the museum) which was sailed to Dublin and back by a Danish crew. It was really touching, and made me want to be able to do the same; to spend days on the sea, and to be that close to the waves. It must be wonderful!
From the viking museum, we took our time to explore Roskilde a little more, and to take some pictures of the area. Then, it was back to Copenhagen, on a train that was jam packed full of people. On my return to the capital, I felt like appreciated the city so much more, because it was so close to places like Roskilde where I (or anybody else) could feel like they were in a different time. Now was the next part of today’s journey, the famed Christiania! Christiania is a sort of “free town”, founded when a group of hippies moved into an old warehouse and started developing their own society. Christiania is the third most visited place in Copenhagen, and its easy to see why. Upon entering, you see vibrant paintings, artistic graffiti, crowds of people (because Christiania was celebrating its 40th birthday) and many other things. There was also music blaring from every corner. Hip-Hop, Reggae, Indian and the works. The free city was about four blogs in each direction, and completely seperate from the regular Danish world. There were vendors on the streets selling tye-dye scarves and shirts, indian fashions, weed (after all, it was a hippie-colony) and food. It was really a sight to see, and Paolo and I spent quite a while walking through and examinig something that was completely different than anything that either of us had ever beheld. As Paolo put it, “I feel like I’m in another world, like planet of the Apes or something.” (Not referring to Christianians as Apes by any mean, but it wassss way different). The city even had its own unique flag with three yellow dots that was flown everywhere; it lined the streets, and hung above the shacks and worn down apartment buildings that people here call home. Looking around, you could see the occasional person (definitely more than usual) kicking back and enjoying a huge joint. There were also quite a few people smoking cigarretes, but the majority, like myself, were just there for the sight of it all. I think Paolo and I spent a good two hours in the rebellious little place, completely surprised and astounded by its ability to defy normal culture. It was really really amazing! Unfortunately, pictures were banned inside of the settlement, so I can’t give you a more intimate look besides my words.
Christiania marked the end of an exciting day that showed the many extremes of Denmark. The past, traditional, relaxed atmosphere of the countryside, and the edgy alternative culture found in one rebellious little colony. Denmark seems to have it all. I’ve really grown to love it here!
Christiania, Copenhagen’s alternative cultural hub. Land of hippies, lovers, and everyone who’s a little out there. The back of the sign says “Welcome to the EU” as you’re leaving. In fact, it does seem like its own country in there! You’ll have to visit to see it, because pictures inside are banned.
At the viking musem in Roskilde, Denmark. AHHHH I love dress-up!
A royal residence in Roskile, near the cathedral where Denmark’s monarchs are buried.
Today marked my day dedicated to Copenhagen… unfortunately almost all museums were closed, because in Scandinavia, alot of businesses close on Monday! Strange isn’t it? So, I basically spend my day walking the streets of Copenhagen and seeing the majority of its sights that are always open! The day started out for the most part at noon, when I got to Stroget, Copenhagen’s main pedestrian walkway as well as my favorite (and probably everybody elses) part of town. The entire street is basically a shopping mall, because its lined with restaurants, pubs, clothing shops, ice cream stands, and souvenir vendors. The street is insanely long as well, and takes about twenty minutes to walk in full. Along the way, there are masses of people (who are very interesting to watch). I found today that Copenhagen has become my favorite place for people watching that I’ve ever been. It seems like everybody here has their own unique individualistic style, which I’ve really grown to appreciate. In the same block, you’ll encounter hippies, businessmen, hipsters, hip-hoppers, preppy sorts, bums and everything in between! Its fantastic.
When I got to Nytorget (New Square) I stopped for a lunch break at a little food booth that was in the middle of the square. I sat there at their table watching people and checking out my Rick Steves travel guide for 5,10…15 minutes. And then I realized that I hadn’t gotten my burger yet (Burgers don’t take that long)! So I went and politely reminded the feller there at the booth about my burger, and it was out within minutes. I’ll tell you what; it was good! It seems to me that alot of places in Europe have the hamburger down to a better art than we do in the US (at least in Washington, I can’t speak for all states)! After the delicious and fulfilling lunch, I continued down my walk. My first stop was at the Round Tower, which served as an observatory and library from the mid 17th to 19th centuryies. The tower was relatively plain, but contained one massive spiraling ramp inside that brought visitors all the way to the top, which upon emerging from a little tiny spiral staircase, offered stunning views of the city. From this tower, I noticed how (moderately) smoggy Copenhagen was, as well as how flat it was. The only buildings that were peaking above the skyline were church steeples, which seemed to take me way back intime, to the days when towns and villages were all like that. I was very happy to see that Copenhagen lacked considerable skyscrapers! At this point, I may have began to love the city a little bit.
After the tower, I strolled up and down random alleys and roads, catching glimpses of the city outside of the main tourist route! Through these alleys and roads, I headed towards Amalienborg Palace, which serves as the royal residence for Queen Margarethe II during the winter. It was a very lovely palace, and quite unique, because it was really made up of four buildings, built around one square in the center. However, traffic still went through the square, so the monarchs obviously don’t isolate themselves completely from the danes! The guards at the palace were quite impressive as well, and I admired their uniforms greatly. They wore super fuzzy hats, that were like a black version of Marge Simpson’s hair, and tight fitting military uniforms that looked more 18th century or early 19th century than modern. That was cool!
From the palace, I travelled towards the sight that defines Copenhagen. That’s right; the Little Mermaid! It wasn’t as impressive as I imagined, but the walk to it was just lovely, through a nice little garden, and past a very cool Anglican church (which I never expected to see in Denmark). The mermaid itself wasn’t as far out in the sea as I thought it would be. On the contrary, it was situated right next to the shore (after a few rocks), which meant that there were Chinese and Japanese tourists climbing all over it. In fact, one even fell into the water while I was watching. I couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit… after all, you don’t climb on art! I took advantage of the pretty bay there, and sat down for a little bit to relax and watch the boats go by. Did I mention that I also went shopping for a little bit today? Well, I did! I went to the H&M here, and found a nice dress shirt and seater that actually fit me (which is almost a miracle). I was so pleased that as soon as it got remotely chilly I put both of them on and sulked around town.
From the Little Mermaid, it wasn’t a long walk to an old military fortress, which I also took a stroll around. The fortress is actually one of the best preserved 18th century military forts in Europe, and still functions as a military base, so I was only allowed to stroll down the main street and along the old ramparts, which was more than enough! After my stroll here, I returned to Storget, where I grabbed a quick bite to eat and sat on a bench watching traffic go by for a while. By this time, it was getting dark, and I decided to walk leisurely back to the hostel. So there’s my day! Hurray! By the way, today marked my third week travelling!
